Mahinda S. heads to Geneva

Saturday, 23 February 2013 00:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Quashing speculation that Sri Lanka would not field a Ministerial delegation to the UN Human Rights Council Sessions this year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Plantations Minister and Presidential Special Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe to lead the country’s team to Geneva next week.

Earlier officials said it was likely that Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Ariyasinha would lead the Sri Lankan team to the UNHRC’s 22nd Session scheduled to open on Monday (25). Ambassador Ariyasinha is currently in Colombo for meetings with External Affairs Ministry officials about the Government’s strategy in Geneva.

Minister Samarasinghe will be the only ministerial ranked official on the delegation this year, in stark contrast to the massive Government delegation that attended the UNHRC session last year.

The Special Envoy is a veteran of the Geneva sessions, having defended Sri Lanka’s position at the Council since he was Human Rights Minister during the final phase of the war with the LTTE.

Sri Lanka is listed on the HRC 22nd Session agenda four times: for the presentation of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s report on Sri Lanka, the tabling of Sri Lanka’s UPR report, Minister Samarasinghe’s address to the Council, and for when the US resolution is taken up.

The US will move a procedural resolution on Sri Lanka in early March at the Council, in a follow-up to its resolution last year expressing further concern and calling for unfettered access for UN rapporteurs to the country.

Samarasinghe is scheduled to address the Council on 27 February at 11:50 a.m. Geneva time, which will be 4:20 p.m. local time, a media release issued by the Ministry of Plantation yesterday said.

(DB)